LIFE Stories

"For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that causes me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or I die. For to me, living is for Christ." – Philippians 1:20-21. +++ Once a group of nuns were given a vacation trip through the Rocky Mountains where they had never been before. They were filled with awe as they marveled at the wonder of the many miles of majestic mountains.  However, every time they stopped to enjoy the view, one particular nun would slip away by herself. So, on one occasion the other nuns decided they would follow her to see what she was up to. They watched her as she walked into the gully. She bent down and reached under a sizable rock, and then turned the rock upside down. She brushed her hands and turned around to walk back up the trail. When she looked up, the entire Order of nuns was watching her. "Margaret, what are you doin...

+++ In the early days of rail travel, crossing guards warned travelers of approaching trains. When trains came, they stood in the middle of the road, swinging a lantern to warn coach drivers of the impending danger. One night, there was a terrible accident at a particular crossing. A coach collided with a train, killing a family of six. An inquest by the railroad authorities summons Sean, the guard on duty that night.  "Sean," the chairman of the review board asked, "were you on duty the night of the accident?" "Yes, sir, I was," Sean replied nervously.  "Did you know the train was coming?" "Yes, sir, I did." "Did you take your place in front of the crossing?" "Yes, sir, I did." "Did you have your lantern with you?" "Yes, sir, I did."  Then the chairman thanked Sean and told him to step down. The inquest closed the case without knowing the cause of the accident. Speculation was that the coach driv...

“Do to others as you would have them do to you.” – Luke 6:31. "Namaste" is a polite Indian gesture of greeting or farewell. From Hindi, the word literally means "bowing to you." Namaste has also been used to mean "I honour the sacred that is within you." What a remarkable thing it would be to actually honour the sacred that is within each person we meet! Even strangers. Nobody would go unnoticed and everybody would count. Has this ever happened to you? +++ One day after we had moved to a new town, my wife Judith did grocery shopping. We moved few food items with us so she filled four grocery carts full. She asked if she could pay with an out of state currency. "We just moved here," she explained, "and don't have local currency as yet." They said, "Yes, no problem." But when she began looking for her currencies, she discovered that she had left it at home. All of the groceries had been checked and sacked. "I'm so s...

What we see in the Bible, especially in the book of Psalms, which is a book of gratitude for the created world, is a recognition that all good things on Earth are God's, every good gift is from above. They are good if we recognize where they came from and if we treat them the way the Designer, the Maker of heaven and earth, intended them to be treated. +++ Heavy rains remind us of challenges in life… Never ask for a lighter rain, just pray to God for a better umbrella. - That is the attitude! Life is not about finding the right person but creating the right relationship. It's not how we care in the beginning, but how much we care till the very end. Some people always throw stones in your path. It depends on what you make with them, a Wall or a Bridge? – Remember you are the architect of your life. Search for a good heart, but don't search for a beautiful face, because beautiful things are not always good, but good things are always beautiful. It’s not important to hold all ...

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death [or through the darkest valley], I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” – Psalm 23:4. Let this story be a simple reminder that God is always with you regardless of the storms of life, and wants you to know that the sun will rise again upon your life and overshadow every obstacle that you had to go through. +++ "One night while my young son was sleeping, a storm began raging outside. After a massive lightning followed by a loud clap of thunder, I heard him wake up so I headed toward his room to comfort him. He asked me to stay with him until he fell asleep. As I lay there I realized he hadn't asked me to make the storm go away, but to stay with him. +++ How many times, I wondered, have I asked God to take away the storms of life, when instead I need to ask him to stay with me and help me face and withstand with courage them more peacefully? Just as a hymn writer put it so...

We don't always understand why things happen contrary to our expectations. But we need to remember that God is the One who sees the picture and He sometimes accomplishes the goal at hand in different ways than we would expect it. Just because God does it differently in ways that we do not always understand, I want you to be confident and know that God is in control and will always bring good out of the bad that we see. +++ Once there was a man who asked God for a flower and a butterfly. But instead God gave him a cactus and a caterpillar. The man was sad. He didn’t understand why his prayer was not answered. Then the man thought, “Oh well, God has so many people to care for,” and he decided not to question God. After some time, the man went to check up on the cactus and the caterpillar. To his surprise, from the thorny and ugly cactus, a beautiful flower had grown. And the unsightly caterpillar had been transformed into the most beautiful butterfly. +++ God always does things right...

“…my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge…” – Hosea 4:6. +++ Once a proud young man came to Socrates asking for knowledge. He walked up to the muscular philosopher and said, "O great Socrates, I come to you for knowledge." Socrates recognized a pompous numbskull when he saw one. He led the young man through the streets, to the sea, and chest deep into water. Then he asked, "What do you want?" "Knowledge, O wise Socrates," said the young man with a smile. Socrates put his strong hands on the man's shoulders and pushed him under. Thirty seconds later Socrates let him up. "What do you want?" he asked again. "Wisdom," the young man sputtered, "O great and wise Socrates." Socrates crunched him under again. Thirty seconds passed, thirty-five. Forty. Socrates let him up. The man was gasping. "What do you want, young man?" Between heavy, heaving breaths the fellow wheezed, "Knowledge, O wise and wonderful......

HAPPY FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING! “On His robe and on His thigh He has a name inscribed, “King of kings and Lord of lords." - Revelation 19:16. +++ There is an inspiring anecdote about Abraham Lincoln.  In April 1865, the slain body of Abraham lay in state for a few hours in Cleveland, Ohio for mourners to pay their tribute. It was on its final journey from the nation’s capital to Springfield, Illinois. In the long queue, when an African American woman and her little son reached the president’s body, she lifted her little son up and said in a hushed voice: “Honey, take a long, long look. That man died for you.” +++ What that African American mother said to her child can be said about Jesus by every mother of every child. Pointing to the body of Jesus on the crucifix, she can say: “Honey, take a long, long look, that Man died for you.” Today’s Gospel gives us the same advice, the questioning scene before the crucifixion of Christ our King. Jesus is the King of Kings not only because ...

“…hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil." - 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22. +++ A man and his girlfriend were married. The bride was gorgeous in her white wedding gown and the groom was very dashing in his black tuxedo. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was true. A few months later, the wife comes to the husband with a proposal: "I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how we can strengthen our marriage." She offered.  "Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier together."  The husband agreed. So, each of them went to a separate room in the house and thought of the things that annoyed them about the other. They thought about this question for the rest of the day and wrote down what they came up with.  The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their lists.  ...

Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." – John 21:15. +++ A holy man was having a conversation with the Lord one day and said, "Lord, I would like to know what Heaven and Hell are like." The Lord led the holy man to two doors. He opened one of the doors and the Holy man looked in. In the middle of the room was a large round table. In the middle of the table was a large pot of stew, which smelled delicious and made the holy man's mouth water. The people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles that were strapped to their arms and each found it possible to reach into the pot of stew and take a spoonful. But because the handle was longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths. The holy man shuddered at the...

It is easy to get down and discouraged when we look at the tribulations this world is going through. But we who believe in Christ Jesus, there is an eternal hope that this world cannot comprehend.  God promises victory to each believer and so we are to rejoice in the good times of life as well as the bad. +++ A family on vacation were driving along in their car, windows rolled down, enjoying the cool breeze of the warm, summer's day. All of a sudden a bee darted in the window and started buzzing around inside the car. A little girl, highly allergic to bee stings, cringed in the back seat. If she were stung, she could be in serious trouble. "Oh, Daddy," she screeched in terror, "It's a bee! It's going to sting me!" The father pulled the car over to a stop, and reached back to try to catch the bee. Buzzing towards him, the bee bumped against the front windscreen where the father trapped it in his fist. Holding it in his closed hand, the father waited for t...

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." – Psalms 118:1. +++ "What can I do for you, Madam?" Abraham Lincoln asked an elderly lady who had been ushered into his office. Placing a covered basket on the table, she said, "Mr. President, I have come here today not to ask any favour for myself or for anyone. I heard that you were very fond of cookies, and I came here to bring you this basket of cookies." Tears trickled down the gaunt face of Lincoln. He said nothing for a moment, then he said, "My good woman, your thoughtful and unselfish deed greatly moves me. Thousands have come into this office since I became President, but you are the first one to come, asking no favour for yourself or somebody else." +++ Did you hear those words Lincoln said? "Your thoughtful and unselfish deed greatly moves me." Do you suppose that if we were to come into the Lord's presence to bring Him something, namely praise and than...

“A fool’s lips bring strife, and a fool's mouth invites a flogging. The mouths of fools are their ruin, and their lips a snare to themselves.” – Proverbs 18:6-7. +++ A preacher, a politician and an engineer were led to the guillotine. The preacher was asked if he wanted to be face up or face down when he met his fate. The preacher said that he would like to lie face up so he would be looking toward heaven when he died. The blade of the guillotine was raised and released. It came speeding down and suddenly stopped, just inches from his neck. The authorities took this as divine intervention and released the preacher. Next, the politician came to the guillotine, and he also decided to die facing up, hoping he would be as fortunate as the preacher. So the blade of the guillotine was raised again and released. It came speeding down and suddenly stopped just inches from his neck, so he was released as well. The engineer was next, and he too decided to die facing up. The executioner slowl...

Hebrews 13:2 – “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” +++ A woman baked bread for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the extra bread on the Window-sill, for whosoever would take it away. Every day, a hunch-back came and took away the bread. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way:  "The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" This went on, day after day. Every day, the hunch-back came, picked up the bread and uttered the words: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" The woman felt irritated. "Not a word of gratitude," she said to herself... "Everyday this hunch-back utters this jingle! What does he mean? One day, out of desperation, she decided to do away with him, "I shall get rid of this hunch-back," she said. And wha...

"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree…" – Psalm 92:12. +++  You must have noticed a palm tree in the midst of a great storm or hurricane? The tree may be bent so far over that it’s almost touching the ground, but when the wind finally stops, that palm tree bounces right back up. Do you know that while that palm tree is hunched over under the pressure of the storm, it is actually growing stronger? +++  The reason God said we’d flourish like a palm tree is because He knew there would be difficult times. He knew things would come against us to try to steal our joy and victory. God said, “You’re going to be like a palm tree because the storms of life will come, the winds will blow, but you are going to come right back up again stronger than before.” Nothing can hold you back! No weapon formed against you will ever prosper. No matter what’s happening in the world around you, keep standing. Keep praying. Keep believing. Your brightest days are right out in front of you, an...

It is important that we focus on the right things when discouragement tries to infiltrate our being. We must not have our minds set on things below but on the above to remind us of the goodness of God, of the many times that He has delivered us in times past. Stay in peace no matter how hard the storms are raging and no matter how tempted you are to murmur and complain. If the Lord hasn't left you in times past, then why would He leave you now?  I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to focus on the right things in every circumstance that comes before you. When you do, you will see your negative situation resolved in ways that you can't imagine. +++ My friend Marge had an experience aboard a plane bound for Cleveland, while waiting for takeoff. As she settled into her seat, Marge noticed a strange phenomenon. On one side of the airplane a sunset suffused the entire sky with glorious color. But out of the window next to her seat, all Marge could see was a dark an...

The good news of the Lord is being preached in more areas of the world than ever before and hence bringing closer the return of Jesus Christ for His church. The more we do for God's kingdom, the sooner He returns, so never get discouraged when you’re serving the Lord.   This is a good message that spoke to my heart to always be quick to protect my mind and spirit just as I protect my physical home because the enemy is always looking for an opening to enter in and wreck havoc.  I hope this story will minister to you as it has for me.   +++   A horrible thing happened to me today.....a thief broke into my house.  It happened shortly after I awoke this morning. I got up and began rushing about. I had a thousand things on my list and was already running behind. Quickly, I gulped down breakfast, took a shower and got ready for work. In my rush, I forgot to turn the security system on at my house.   It was just about a half an hour later that t...

The good that we do towards others is sure to leave a mark that will never be erased. We are to remember that others are in need all around us and as believers in Christ, we have been given the commission to be His hands and feet on the earth to care for and love all who are in need. We are to be conscious to the fact that living only for ourselves not caring about the benefits of others will lead to a lonely and mundane existence. We are not created to hold love in, but rather are to share the love that we have to all who are hurting and in need. One of the first shown emotions is love towards someone else. Just as God's love is imparted upon us, so must we impart the love that we have toward our fellow man. Because of our good works that we do in Christ's Name, we will be remembered far longer than the time it took for that good deed to be done. I hope you are encouraged by today's message to be a doer of good works so that all who see you may know Whom you belong to. ...

We are to give thanks to the Lord at all times no matter what bad situation is in our life at the moment. It is easy for us to forget of our many blessings and choose to murmur and complain about something negative that has come before us. Quickly we forget that our positives greatly outweigh our negatives. We are to be thankful that we have feet that allow us to walk, hands that allow us to feed and groom ourselves, eyes to see the beauty of God's creation, ears to hear the infinite sounds that surround us and the list continues on. We must remember that we are a blessed people and are to be thankful for all that we have and should not dwell on the bad that comes our way that is only temporary in nature. Be content at all times and give God thanks in all things and you will see His favor shine upon you. I hope you are both encouraged and inspired by today's message.   +++   The nursing aides for the 89-year-old man planned a surprise party for him. This active and a...

"Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"" – Genesis 3:9   +++   Think about omniscient. God knows everything. He does not have to think things over. He doesn't have to wonder what will happen or when it will happen. He doesn't need a lie detector. He doesn't need to see the video tape over again - no instant replay required. He knows the end from the beginning. He doesn't have to add up the column of numbers to get the answer. He just knows.   And while that whole concept may be something very tough for our finite minds to completely grasp, we get a taste of it. Then to see this question, "Where are you?"   But here is the oddity. God knows everything, so He knows where Adam is hiding and why. But the all-knowing Creator of the Universe still asks Adam, "Where are you?"   One point is that God is asking for Adam's benefit. Adam, think about where you are. Think about what has h...

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9   +++   There was a blind girl who hated herself because she was blind. She also hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He was always there for her.   She often told him, 'If I could only see the world, I will marry you.'   One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her. When the bandages came off, she was able to see everything, including her boyfriend.   He asked her, 'Now that you can see the world, will you marry me?'   The girl looked at her boyfriend and saw that he was blind. The sight of his closed eyelids shocked her. She hadn't expected that. The thought of looking at them the rest of her life made her refuse to marry him.   Her boyfriend left her in tears and days later wrote a note to her saying: “Take good care of your eyes, my dear. For, before th...

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door.  It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man.   College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.   Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night.   The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.   "Jack, did you hear me?"   "Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.   "Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce ...

It is a great privilege to have the God who created the universe and all that is within it to be called our Heavenly Father. There are many people around the world who have given their heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ and yet still have a hard time of letting go of their past. It is important that we recognize that as far as God is concerned, our past has been erased and our future has been secured because of the provisions God has made for His children. Never allow your past to keep you from moving forward. If God forgave and forgot, then we need to do the same. This is a good story that shows the royalty we are after we come to the Lord. I hope this story ministers to your heart to let go of your old baggage and enjoy your life in Christ right now.  Never give in to the enemy's lies of condemnation, but rather remind the devil that you are a new creation in Christ and all past sins have been forgiven and you are now completely set free.   +++   An old b...